At its I/O 2019 developer conference, Google revealed more details about the Android Q beta 3, from new features such as gesture controls to improved security.
The update is already available to download and install on a number of devices and not just on Pixel phones.
A word of warning, though: This is a beta, so it isn't stable and may cause issues. If history is anything to go by, it could take months before a beta build becomes easy to use for everyday users. It's targeted at developers, after all. In other words, it's recommended to make a backup before trying this.
Phones Compatible With Android Q Beta
All Pixel phones have Android Q support. For the record, that includes the first Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, and Pixel 3 XL.
Google added support for 15 more devices from 12 different OEMs, making the total number of compatible devices go up from 6 to 21.
At that, here's the list:
• Asus Zenfone 5Z
• Essential PH-1
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
• LG G8
• Nokia 8.1
• OnePlus 6T
• Oppo Reno
• Realme 3 Pro
• Sony Xperia XZ3
• Tecno Spark 3 Pro
• Vivo NEX A
• Vivo NEX S
• Vivo X27
• Xiaomi Mi 9
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
How To Sideload Android Q Beta
To be clear, the instructions here are written for Pixel phones, so there might be some discrepancies depending on the device. Primarily, the difference is where the OTA images will be coming from, such as in the case of the Nokia 8.1 and ZenFone 5Z, which have their own accompanying installation guides.
Step 1: The first thing to do is to download an OTA image from the Android Developer's website. Just choose which one corresponds to your device.
Step 2: Turn off the device and press and hold the power and volume down buttons simultaneously to boot into Recovery mode. You should see the Android mascot on its back if done correctly.
Step 3: Select Recovery mode using the volume buttons to navigate and the power button to confirm. There should be another Android with an exclamation after this. Now press on the power and volume up buttons to go into Recovery mode.
Step 4: Using the power and volume buttons again, choose "Apply update from ADB."
Step 5: Connect your device to a computer with ADB tools installed. For those who don't have them, they're available from the Android Developer's website as well.
Step 6: On a Windows machine, fire up Command Prompt or PowerShell by holding Shift and right-clicking on the ADB tools folder and clicking on "Open command window here" or "Open PowerShell window here." Type in "adb sideload [name of OTA file]" on the Command Prompt or ".adb sideload [name of OTA file]" on PowerShell minus the quotation marks, of course. On a macOS or Linux machine, you'll pretty much do the same thing, but you'll type "./adb sideload [name of OTA file]" in the terminal instead.
Step 7: Wait until the installation finishes and choose "Reboot now," and if everything went smoothly, then you should have the Android Q beta 3 installed now.
How To Install Android Q Beta Via OTA
For Pixel owners who don't want to sideload, they can always go ahead and join Google's Android beta program. All they have to do is to sign up with a Google account and choose which device they want to receive the update, which they'll get over-the-air, similar to how stable versions of Android roll out.
